Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

meager

adjective
variants: or meagre

Synonyms and Antonyms of meager

less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable

  • ever since he started the diet, his dinners have been more meager than he would like
Synonyms of meager

exiguous, hand-to-mouth, light, niggardly, poor, scant, scanty, scarce, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparing, sparse, stingy
Words Related to meager

deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, short, wanting

bare, bare-bones

least, littlest, lowest, mere, minimal, slightest

slight, small, thin

barren, infertile, sterile, unfruitful, unproductive
Phrases Synonymous with meager

thin on the ground
Near Antonyms of meager

adequate, enough, satisfactory, sufficient, tolerable

fat, fecund, fertile, fruitful, prolific, rich

lavish, luxuriant

blooming, bursting, flourishing, proliferative, swarming, teeming, thriving

excess, extra, surplus
Antonyms of meager

abundant, ample, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful

Synonym Discussion of meager

meager, scanty, scant, skimpy, spare, sparse mean falling short of what is normal, necessary, or desirable. meager implies the absence of elements, qualities, or numbers necessary to a thing's richness, substance, or potency.
    • a meager portion of meat
scanty stresses insufficiency in amount, quantity, or extent.
    • supplies too scanty to last the winter
scant suggests a falling short of what is desired or desirable rather than of what is essential.
    • in January the daylight hours are scant
skimpy usually suggests niggardliness or penury as the cause of the deficiency.
    • tacky housing developments on skimpy lots
spare may suggest a slight falling short of adequacy or merely an absence of superfluity.
    • a spare, concise style of writing
sparse implies a thin scattering of units.
    • a sparse population

Learn More about meager

  1. See words that rhyme with meager Dictionary: Definition of meager Spanish Central: Translation of meager Nglish: Translation of meager for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of meager for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up meager? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games